Tamer Youssef
Tamer Youssef – talented Egyptian Cartoonist, Illustrator and Graphic Designer, living & working in the States, talks to Ink candidly.
What made you want to become a cartoonist?
I did not want to become a cartoonist … really. My plans were to study cinema and work as a filmmaker! I did not choose my career, my career chose me. I was just a student at school when I started working in the late eighties for the daily French newspaper “Le Progrés Egyptian” as a professional illustrator. But later on comics attracted me, and I found myself in this type of art, so I became a cartoonist, caricaturist and illustrator.
Have you had some formal training in the art?
No, I did not. I consider myself Lucky not to be an academic artist. I’m self taught. Art in general is not an academic subject. You can study Art History, but nobody can teach you taste or feeling. People in the street are my teacher; they inspire me and give me the ideas too. On the other hand, I practice everyday in each sketch or draft. I develop my technique and style through mass work. That’s much better than studying in art schools for 2-5 years.
What are you trying to portray through your caricatures of politicians from around the world?
I found myself in the political section, which attracted me more than culture or sport sections. I assume 90% of my caricatures are for politicians comparing to 10% only for writers, singers, actors and athletics. I’m facing all the politicians and showing their true figure and character to the readers.
Tell us a bit about your latest exhibition?
Le Monde de Caricature de Tamer Youssef 2 – it was the second edition of my solo exhibition held at the Alliance Francaise of San Francisco – California – USA, from January 31 till February 13, 2009. I exposed 75 political caricatures of my newest artworks created during 2008. It was a great chance to remember the most important news of 2008. In my point of view the American Presidential Election was on the top of news for so long during 2008 and will stay in memory for the coming years too, that’s why you’ll find portraits for Obama, McCain and Hilary Clinton in my exhibition. Also the catastrophe in Gaza takes a big part of my show.
What feedback did you receive after the exhibition?
It was a successful exhibition event; number of visitors showing that. Also for the second year they asked me at the Alliance to extend my exhibition in order to give a chance for more art students to visit my gallery.
Do you plan on exhibiting in other countries at some point; Pakistan maybe?
For sure. I’ve some invitations to exhibit my caricatures in Ukraine and Czech Republic. Also I wish I can visit Pakistan one day and draw more caricature for more Pakistani leaders. Also I have to confess, I’m a big fan of the Pakistani culture and Nussrat Fateh Ali Khan (may he R.I.P.).
Why did you decide to include a caricature of the late Benazir Bhutto?
Pakistan is a great country which has a great history and the Bhutto family including Benazir (may she R.I.P.) draws the history of this nation. So drawing a caricature for her is just a simple belief in the role she played. Also I was so sad by her dramatic death.
What do some of your future activities involve?
You know if life deals you lemons, make lemonade … and I’m Lecturing about my art experience in so many universities and art schools in the US. This keeps me busy all the time; plus I’m one of the artists who keeps their hands occupied. But the most important upcoming event for me is my exhibition at de Young museum.
Do you think there is a bright future for a cartoonist in your country? Does it pay well?
There are some themes I can not draw – one of them is the future. But I’m optimistic about the young cartoonists’ generation in Egypt. But sadly when the world economy slows down … the art market slows down too. It’s a hard time for artists, especially cartoonists. That’s why I’m not expecting good payment or salaries.
What message would you like to send readers of Ink?
“Home is where the heart is”.
Tamer Youssef is currently the vice president of the Federation of Cartoonists Organizations (FECO). He is a creative cartoonist, illustrator and graphic designer. His work has appeared in many newspapers and publications around the world, including Le Progrés Egyptien, The Egyptian Gazette, Live Colors, and Al-Ahram Weekly in Egypt as well as in publications in France, Romania and the United States. His work has been shown in Egypt, Korea, France, Cyprus and Taiwan. He is a member of the Egyptian Association for Caricature and the Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI).
For more about Tamer Youssef please visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tameryoussef
Also Tamer Youssef’s Caricature World on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4681496106
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.
